The Hunter
by Goddess-Moose
Summary: An alternate ending to the episode about The Hunter, the serial killer who killed cabbies. What if Bobby's cab responded to the call? Rated T to be on the safe side for some violence. It IS a serial killer, after all
1. Chapter 1

**The Hunter**

_Disclaimer: I don't own FBEye or any related characters. The plot is mine._

_Summary: This is an alternate ending to the episode about the Hunter, the serial killer who killed cabbies. What if Bobby was the agent whose cab responded to the Hunter?_

_Author's Note: I got this idea when I saw this episode for the second time on reruns. I was fully convinced that, during the trap they set, Bobby was the one who was in the cab and faced off with the Hunter. I have no idea why. So this is my ending to the episode._

"We got a call for a cab." Tara said suddenly. She focused their screen on the street. A car pulled up and a man got out with a suitcase in each hand.

"You drive a car to take a cab?"

"More like drive a car to kill a cabbie." Jack retorted. "Who's got it?"

"Uhhh…..Bobby." Sue, Jack and Tara watched as a cab pulled up in front of the man and Bobby, dressed as a cabbie, got out of the cab.

"I need to put these in your trunk." The man said brusquely. _So much for hello. _Bobby thought. _Then again, he is a serial killer. _The thought of being that close to and interacting with a brutal serial killer who saw you as his next victim might terrify some people, but Bobby wasn't worried. He lifted the bags and turned to the trunk with a bag in each hand. His inability reach his discreetly placed handgun worried him slightly, but he pushed that thought out of his mind. He had half the FBI covering him.

Behind him, the Hunter slowly pulled a long hunting knife from under his coat.

"Now!" Jack yelled as the Hunter raised the knife over his head and lunged at Bobby. The long blade arced up, glinting in the moonlight. Time seemed to freeze in that moment. Rage filled the Hunter's distorted face. Jack stared helplessly as the knife plunged into Bobby.

Bobby turned around to the trunk of the car. He was starting to tense up, getting ready. Something didn't feel right. Something was wrong. He started to turn around with the suitcases still in his hands. With a barbaric yell the Hunter raised a knife over his head and plunged it into Bobby's shoulder. Bobby cried out involuntarily, reflexively slamming the suitcase into the Hunter's chest. The Hunter stumbled back a few steps, the blood splattered knife clattering to the ground. Bobby sagged against the cab, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He fumbled to pull out his gun and badge with his good arm. Before the Hunter could react to the FBI badge in Bobby's trembling hand, legions of agents came pouring out of deserted buildings and vans, while three other agent inhabited cabs screeched up.

"Freeze! FBI!" Jack yelled as he burst out of the van followed by Tara and Sue. "Put your hands in the air! Now!" The Hunter slowly raised his hands in the air. He was immediately placed in handcuffs and dragged to one of the cars hidden in an alley. Jack instantly turned to Bobby who had collapsed on the ground, leaning against the cab's tire.

Blood streamed between his fingers, clutching the wound. A dark stain was steadily spreading through his coat. Bobby moaned through clenched teeth, trying to suppress the pain.

"We need to get you to a hospital." Jack helped Bobby up, who leaned against the cab, gasping for breath. Jack—although he tried not to show it—was terrified. Bobby was not only a co-worker but a close friend. He was bleeding profusely, and in the dark with several layers of clothes on Jack couldn't see exactly where the wound was.

"Myles, Sue, take care of everything here. I'm going with Bobby." Jack fumbled with his keys and opened the door. Bobby sank onto the front seat groaning. Jack sped to the hospital, spending more time looking at Bobby than at the road. He was still bleeding heavily and seemed to be fading out of conciseness. Even though they were well over the speed limit and ran several stop signs and traffic lights, it seemed to take an eternity to reach the hospital.

By the time they reached the Emergency Room, Bobby was almost unconscious and blood soaked his jacket. He couldn't stand on his own, sagging weakly against Jack. Jack glanced over at the beige car seat where Bobby sat and felt sick—it was covered in blood.

The ER nurses rushed Bobby off on a stretcher leaving Jack to explain. His FBI badge and a much abbreviated explanation of the night satisfied them and left Jack alone with his thoughts. He glanced down at this watch and his eyes widened. 10 minutes. It had only been 10 minutes since someone called for a cab. 10 minutes since their lives were normal.

He looked up to see D rushing through the doors of the ER several seconds later.

"How is he?" Jack shrugged.

"I don't know. They just took him," Jack said quietly. D sat down next to him.

"You were with him…"

"He looked awful. There's blood everywhere." D didn't say anything and the two men sat in silence waiting for new about their colleague and close friend.

_Author's Note: I'll post the next chapter sometime in the next few days. I'm leaving for a month long vacation out of the country in about a week, so the whole thing should be up soon. Review please! It'll make the chapters come faster…_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Hunter**

_Disclaimer: I don't own FBEye or any related characters. The plot is mine._

_Summary: This is an alternate ending to the episode about the Hunter, the serial killer who killed cabbies. What if Bobby was the agent whose cab responded to the Hunter?_

Lucy dropped her phone, not caring where it landed. She was in shock. Grabbing her purse and keys she ran out the door to go to the hospital.

She tried to process what Sue had told her during the short drive. The arrest had gone wrong—very wrong. Lucy was glad that they had caught the Hunter, but not at the possible price of Bobby's life. What would the office be like if Bobby was gone? She shook her head. She couldn't think like that. It wasn't helping anything to assume Bobby dead. Sue hadn't known how bad Bobby was or where he was stabbed. There was a lot of blood, but that could mean a lot of things. Lucy sighed, and tried to concentrate only on driving.

"Mr. Hudson?" Jack's head jerked up. He, Lucy, Tara, and D had been sitting in the waiting room for half an hour. This was the first that anyone had come to talk to them. Jack had listed himself as the contact on Bobby's paperwork since his family was out of the country.

"That's me." Jack said, rising. "How's Bobby?"

"He's on his way to a room in Intensive Care. We managed top stop the bleeding, but he lost a lot of blood and needs a blood transfusion within the hour." Jack slowly let out the breath he was holding.

"So…" The doctor sighed.

"I'm sure that you've heard of the blood donation shortages. I'm afraid that we don't have any of Mr. Manning's blood type here. We are putting a call out to other blood banks in the area, but…" Jack ran his hands through his hair. He couldn't accept that Bobby may not make it.

"What are you saying?" Jack asked softly.

"We need to give Mr. Manning a transfusion or—he probably won't make it." Jack sighed.

"Well—can one of us donate?" Lucy asked. The doctor turned to her after a pause.

"Of one of you are a match, there's no reason that you couldn't."

"What blood type is he?"

"That's the problem. He's O-. That's an unusual blood type, and with the shortage in donors…" Jack whipped his head around to race the others. He was desperate. But they were all as desperate as he was. Jack wanted to scream.

"There's a good chance that we can get his blood type from another blood bank in the areas." The doctor said quickly.

"Can we see him?" Jack asked hoarsely

"We're only supposed to let family…"

"He doesn't have any family in America. We're all he's got."

"Alright. One of you can go in, but only for a few minutes."

"Jack, you go." D said, looking around at the others. Jack took a deep breath and followed the doctor up to the ICU. Jack took another deep breath at the door of Bobby's room. ICU was bad. He slowly walked in and cringed. Bobby looked like he was dead. Machines beeped softly and an IV dripped into his good arm. Jack looked everywhere except at the still form on the bed for several minutes, gathering his nerve. Finally he looked at Bobby. He was as white as the sheets on his bed. His chest was barely rising and falling, so that at a glace he appeared dead. Oxygen tubes ran from his nose and his shoulder was heavily bandaged. Jack was close to tears. Bobby was his closest friend. He was carefree and rarely serious. It was hard to imagine that that same man was the one in the hospital bed. It was bizarre to see Bobby still. He was always moving. Jack slowly sank into the chair next to the bed and tentatively reached out and put his hand on Bobby's.

"Come on Bobby. Hang on." His voice broke. "You can't go yet. It's not your time. Hang on."

A nurse came to the door and cleared her throat. Jack tore his eyes away from his friend. He slowly got up and walked back into the hall.

"I'm sorry." Jack nodded mutely. He found Tara, Lucy, and D in a small waiting room outside of the ICU.

"How is he?" Tara asked. Jack sank into one of the chairs away from the group and buried his head in his hands. Lucy glanced at D and Tara then got up and sat down next to Jack. She put her hand on his back gently.

"How're you doing?" She asked gently.

"He's looks dead." Jack said abruptly, struggling to keep his voice steady and avoiding Lucy's question.

"It's okay, it's okay." Lucy rubbed his back lightly. Jack couldn't get the blood soaked front seat of his car out of his mind. He desperately wanted to forget the night, but he couldn't. It kept replaying in his mind; everything that he wanted to forget.

"He's going to be okay Jack." D said gently. Jack jerked his head up, his eyes wild.

"Stop saying that! You didn't see him! Do you want to go look at my car? It's covered in blood!" Jack yelled wildly.

"Calm down, Jack." Lucy said gently. Jack stood up, shaking off Lucy's hand.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down when Bobby's laying in that room dying?" Jack's voice broke and he collapsed back into the chair. D leaned forward towards Jack. He opened his mouth, but he was cut off as Sue and Myles, lead by Levi, burst into the room.

"How's Bobby?" Myles asked in a slightly panicked voice. Levi whined. D sighed inwardly.

"He's in ICU but he needs a blood transfusion in the next hour…" D said, keeping his eyes on Jack. Sue sat down next to Lucy and Myles flopped into a chair across from D. The room was cloaked in silence. D kept his eyes locked on Jack, concern written all over his face.

"We got him locked up. We've got enough to put him away for the rest of his life." Myles said softly, with none of the elation that usually accompanied a big arrest. Jack's hands balled into fists.

"How can you be thinking about that? What the hell's the matter with you?" Jack spat furiously, his voice full of hatred. He got up, shaking off Lucy's arm, and stormed out. D sighed and got up to follow him. He was taking it so hard, and understandably so. Bobby was one of his closest friends. They had gone through all their training together and were almost inseparable.

D found Jack leaning against a wall near the nurse's station. D slowed down. He looked so upset.

Jack looked at the clock over the nurse's station and slammed his fist into the wall. Bobby was running out of time.

"Jack." D said softly. "He didn't mean anything by it. You know that. We're all worried about Bobby." Jack leaned his forehead against the wall, his arm above his head.

"None of this was supposed to happen. We were supposed to be celebrating right now. Instead, we're in the hospital and Bobby's—" Jack said finally in a low voice.

"I know." Dimitrius put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "You want to go back? They might know something."

"Yeah, I guess." Jack said flatly. D frowned. He was almost as worried about Jack as he was about Bobby. Before they got through the door, a nurse stopped them.

"Mr. Hudson?" Jack nodded. "You can go down to see Mr. Manning now."

"Thank you." Jack followed the nurse down the hall back into Bobby's room. He sank heavily into the chair. "Hang on Bobby, hang on." He mumbled. Bobby groaned and shook his head on the pillow. He groaned again, then slowly opened his eyes.

"Wha—" He tried to sit up, moaning.

"Hey, hey don't try to move. How're you feeling?"

"Awful." Bobby rasped weakly. "What happened?" Jack took a deep breath.

"The Hunter almost got you." Bobby's eyes widened.

"How bad?" He rasped. Jack looked down at his hands. After a long pause he said quietly,

"We, uh, got the Hunter. Myles and Sue locked him up." Jack avoided looking at Bobby. He was avoiding Bobby's question. Jack knew he was being selfish. He didn't want to be the one to tell Bobby. He wasn't thinking about his friend, he was thinking about himself. "They, uh, they'll be glad to hear you're awake. Everyone's here." Jack fumbled on. He was desperate to avoid telling Bobby how bad he really was. He glanced up at the clock with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. 15 precious minutes of Bobby's hour of life had already ticked away. He looked back at Bobby. He looked so weak and fragile.

"Jack—you're—avoiding—it." Bobby said weakly. Jack turned away. Bobby squeezed his hand with a surprising amount of strength. "I know—it's—bad. Just—tell—me." He gasped. Jack took a deep breath.

"Okay." He said finally in a low voice. "He got you in your right shoulder. The knife—it went all the way through. It's—it's bad." Jack turned away feeling exhausted. He didn't want to face Bobby. He was saved by the doctor coming in. Jack turned his eyes to the doctor. He was hoping and praying that they had the blood transfusion for Bobby. He hadn't been able to tell his closest friend that he had less than an hour to live. If they had the blood, he wouldn't have too, not until later. After Bobby was out of the hospital.

"Good, you're awake. How do you feel?"

"Awful." Bobby rasped. The doctor smiled.

"It's expected." He glanced at Jack. "How much did Mr. Hudson tell you?"

"I told him what happened."

"Can I see you in the hall for a moment, please?"

"Sure. Don't go anywhere." He joked lamely to Bobby then followed the doctor into the hall.

"You didn't tell him about the blood transfusion?" The doctor asked once they were out of earshot. Jack shook his head, looking at the floor. "Unfortunately, I don't have any good news. So far, no blood banks have responded." Jack let out the breath he was holding.

"I'll—I'll tell him. I don't want him to get the news from someone he doesn't know." The doctor nodded. "Oh, would you tell the other people waiting?"

"Of course. I'll let you know as soon as we have any news." Jack nodded. He stood a moment in the hall, gathering his strength. He would rather face, alone and unarmed, an army of terrorist with automatic weapons than Bobby. Squaring his shoulder, he turned and walked in.

"Bobby…..there's something I didn't tell you. It's—it's worse than I told you…you—uh—you…you need a blood transfusion in—in soon or…" Jack forced himself to look at Bobby's stricken face.

Bobby took a deep breath. Jack put his hand on Bobby's.

"Man, I'm sorry……They're gonna get it—you're gonna be fine."

"Then why don't I have it?" Bobby asked quietly.

"They don't have your blood type here. They're calling other hospitals and blood banks. They're gonna find it—you're gonna be fine." Jack finished lamely. He knew how desperate it sounded and he hated himself for it.

Bobby looked down. The whole thing seemed unreal. The idea that he might die before the night was over—he couldn't accept it. He had understood the risks of the job when he took it, but somehow they had never been real. Even when Skip died, he had never seriously considered the possibility of death. It seemed unreal.

_So, chapter two. Please review, it really means a lot. Hopefully the next chapter will be up later today or tomorrow. I hope to have it all up before I leave. Bottom line: review!_


	3. Chapter 3

**The Hunter**

_Disclaimer: I don't own FBEye or any related characters. The plot is mine._

_Summary: This is an alternate ending to the episode about the Hunter, the serial killer who killed cabbies. What if Bobby was the agent whose cab responded to the Hunter?_

45 minutes after Jack come in to see Bobby, Jack, Sue, Tara, Lucy, Myles, and D were grouped around Bobby's bead trying to ignore the obtrusive ticking of the clock. The doctors had been in and out, never with any good news. They seemed to be preparing them for the worst.

Bobby had drifted in and out of consciousness. He was getting weaker. They could see it, and they all tried as hard as they could to ignore it.

Suddenly Jack's cell phone rang, shattering the silence.

"It's Darcy." He said, a mixture of relief and anguish in his voice. He hadn't been able to get through to her earlier, but now he faced telling her about Bobby. He took a deep breath.

"Hello?" He cringed. She seemed so innocent. He had no idea what awaited her. "Yeah…oh….Look, Darcy…..Bobby…..there was an accident. We're at the hospital…..bad." He glanced at the bed. "Okay. Bye." He closed his phone. "She's on her way here. She just got my message."

"You didn't tell her." D said. Jack groaned.

"I couldn't, not over the phone. It's not something you can say over the phone." He turned back to Bobby and tried to ignore the passage of precious time.

10 minutes later Darcy came running into ICU. She saw Jack standing in the hallway before she could ask where Bobby was.

"Jack…." Jack took a deep breath and forced himself to meet her frantic eyes.

"Darcy…it's pretty bad."

"What happened?"

"We were after the Hunter, that serial killer. He—he stabbed Bobby in the shoulder. Bobby lost a lot of blood." Jack paused, gathering his courage. "The doctors—gave him…..an hour to live without a blood transfusion….." Darcy gasped and looked frantically for a clock.

"How—"

"The hour's almost up." Jack said, struggling to keep his emotions under control. Saying it out loud somehow made it real, final.

"Where is he?" Jack wordlessly led Darcy into the hospital room. He sat her into the chair that he had been sitting in next to the bed.

Darcy gently took Bobby's hand as tears slid down her cheeks. He was so weak. She had never seen him so vulnerable. She always felt safe when she was with him, he was her protector. They had never talked about anything happening to him.

Jack pulled another chair up to the other side of the bed. He glanced up at the monitors over the bed. Bobby's heartbeat was getting weaker. Jack lowered his head and let the tears come. It finally hit him that Bobby was going to die. They weren't going to get a miracle or cheat fate. His confidence shattered and his shoulders shook with sobs.

Sue got up and pulled a chair next to Jack. She put her hand gently on his back. Her eyes welled up as she looked over Jack to the clock, who's hour hand ticked slowly forward, ending Bobby's hour of life.

Almost on cue, the beeps from the heart monitor stated getting steadily worse and Bobby's breathing became shallower. Each breath he drew in seemed to be his last. But they weren't. He stubbornly continued to breath.

Myles leaned over Jack and pushed the call nurse button.

The low beeps of the heart monitor were getting weaker and further apart.

Jack turned into Sue's arms. He was waiting for the steady beep of Bobby flat lining. He had no hope left.

Two nurses walked briskly into the room. They glanced at the monitors and Bobby's desperate breaths. They got a tank of oxygen from the corner and an oxygen mask, which they placed over Bobby's mouth and nose, expertly working around Darcy and Jack.

"What's going on?" D asked in a strangled voice.

"He needs a blood transfusion—"

"You haven't found one yet?"

"No. I'm sorry. He's lost so much blood. I'll send the doctor in."

Darcy squeezed Bobby's limp hand.

"Hang on." She whispered. "Hang on." The doctor burst into the room.

"I have good news." Jack pulled away from Sue, turning his tear-stained face towards the doctor. "We just got a call from a blood bank in Alexandria. They have Bobby's blood type!"

"How long?" Jack asked hoarsely.

"Is should be around fifteen minutes." Jack turned to Bobby. Could he really last fifteen more minutes?

"Is he going to be ok for that long?" Tara asked hesitantly, voicing the concern of everyone in the room.

"We're going to do everything that we can to make sure that he does." The doctor said confidently.

Jack refused to accept the new shred of hope. His hopes had already been shattered and he wasn't about to let it happen again.

For the next fifteen minutes, the doctors worked tirelessly to keep Bobby breathing. He continued to grow weaker, and stopped breathing twice.

Tara wiped her eyes. She couldn't comprehend the F.B.I. without Bobby. He never let anyone have a bad day. He kept a positive outlook when things got bad, no matter what.Lucy squeezed Tara's hand. Tears slid down her cheeks. Bobby was always in control. He couldn't die. He couldn't.

Myles stood rigidly against the wall. Despite his pompous attitude, he cared deeply about Bobby. And now Bobby was going to die.

Darcy's face was soaked in tears. She found her mind wandering. She and Bobby were supposed to have dinner together the next night. Memories of their relationship flooded her overwhelmed mind. She couldn't keep her eyes off of Bobby's ashen face. He looked like a corpse.

As the heart monitor grew weaker, an orderly rushed in protectively cradling and precious IV bag of bright red blood. Within minutes the doctors had an IV line set up and flowing into Bobby. They moved back to allow Darcy and Jack to return to Bobby's bedside. Darcy held Bobby's hand tightly. Only time would tell if they had been soon enough to save Bobby.

Several minutes later a low moan came from the bed. Darcy tightened her grip on Bobby's hand. His eyelids fluttered weakly. Bobby blinked and tried to focus on the faces above him.

"Darc…"

"Shhh…." Darcy murmured as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Thank you God."

"We almost lost you." Jack said in a tight voice.

"Nice try Sparky, but you can't get rid of me that easily." Bobby rasped. Jack smiled weakly through his tears. "You're stuck with me for a long time."

**THE END**

_Okay, so the ending was corny, but...details. Please review! I'm leaving for vacation today, but I have some more stories in the works. _


End file.
